Teen who took 'penalty kicks' at man's head sentenced

A 17-year-old boy, who took part in an assault on a man who claimed his head was used like a football as his attackers took “penalty kicks”, was given a six-month sentence at the Dublin Children’s Court yesterday.

The teenage father-of-one had been convicted of assault causing harm to the man, in Dublin’s south inner city, in the early hours of December 16 2006.

The victim had told Judge Ann Ryan during the hearing last September that he had taken a lift from a woman. Her car stopped outside the defendant’s home at which the boy’s older brother called him a “scumbag.”

He said the defendant’s brother first threw punches at him. He put his hands up to protect himself when the boy came “running straight at me. With that they treated me like a football, I got punched and kicked.”

He was held down by the boy whose brother threw a shopping trolley on him.

“I got an almighty kick. It was like they were taking penalty kicks on my face,” he also said adding that he thought he had been kicked over 100 times.

He managed to get back into the woman’s car at which she drove off but the attackers chased and a window of the car was smashed.

He then got a taxi home where his partner called the gardaí.

The boy had said in evidence that the man had been outside his family home and spoke to his brother about getting drugs. His brother told him to go away and hit him a couple of punches which “busted his nose.”

He had also admitted hitting the victim twice but denied that the man had been treated like a football. He also alleged that the man had previously chased him and his partner bore a grudge against him.

Garda Cillian Blake of Kevin Street station told the court that shortly after the incident he saw that the victim had a bloody face and one side of it was swollen.

The victim had also said his jaw was broken from the assault.

At the sentence hearing today Judge Ryan was told that since his trial the teen had been given a seven-month sentence in St Patrick’s Institution, imposed in early December for other offences.

Defence solicitor Sarah Molloy said the boy, who was accompanied to court by his mother and girlfriend, had been abusing alcohol and drugs. He had developed psychiatric problems for which he was receiving medication in custody. He is also taking part in an educational programme in the detention centre.

Judge Ryan imposed a six-month sentence but suspended the final three months on condition the teenager is of good behaviour and did not commit further offences for the next two years.